How Much Energy Do Those Famous Light Shows Use?

One of our favorite memories from childhood was driving down to the Clot Family Christmas House. The Clots were local celebrities, at least in our neighborhood, for putting up thousands of lights and animated displays each December. There's families like the Clots all over America; the ones who get into the spirit of Christmas with over-the-top decorations—usually funded solely by the family and donations from the public. Do you have any clue how much they cost? We do, now that House Logic has estimated the cost of 4 locally famous light displays from around the continent.

The Lagerstrom's Light Display in British Columbia, CanadaMuch of their display is hand-made.Lights: 250,000Estimated cost per hour: $17/hourTotal cost of the display: $2,040/monthEstimated cost using only LEDs: $2/hour or $240 for the monthPossible electric bill savings: $15/hour or $1,800 for the month

Many of the families are already starting to make the economical switch to LEDs. But we here at Unplggd have even more suggestions for these families to cut their savings:

Rely on a solar sensor to turn on your lights. This way, they'll go on right at dusk, whether or not you're home to turn them on. You don't want to disappoint your first evening oglers, but you don't need to turn them on early if you're leaving the house.

Rely on a timer to turn the lights off. Since every bit counts, we suggest turning off your enormous light display in phases. Figure out when the passerby traffic begins to slow, then set a timer to turn off minor portions of the display (rotating figurines, spotlights or maybe every-other-light-strand). Keep the system going until all the lights shut off around the same time as your last visitors.